I Confess, I Am a Werewolf
by opungo
Summary: Oneshot. Beginning of Marauder's second year. Remus reveals to his friends, after worrying they'll turn their backs on him, that he is a werewolf.


"Have a good term, Remus." Remus Lupin's mother had him in a death grip hug right in front of the Hogwarts Express. The second year coughed and sputtered and was very grateful that his father chose that moment to pry his mother off of him.

"Let him breathe," he said jokingly. Remus laughed.

"Remus," said his father. He was no longer joking and looked seriously down at his son. "you know those friends of yours you told your mother and I about? Well if they're as trustworthy and loyal as you say they are, then you should tell them. They'll understand." Remus nodded, not believing his dad one bit. Yes it was true, that his friends were trustworthy, they defended him when somebody lashed out at him for receiving top marks on a History of Magic quiz. They were also loyal and hardly left his side when they walked throughout the castle but Remus was still worried that the moment they found out about his condition, they would turn on him in an instant.

With a final goodbye to his parents, Remus dragged his trunk on to the train and began peering in to compartments, looking for his friends.

"Looking for me?" said a voice near Remus as he glanced in to a compartment full of fourth years. Remus looked around to see a boy with messy black hair, glasses, and hazel eyes leaning out from a compartment door, grinning widely.

"It's possible," Remus said to him. James Potter ducked back inside the compartment and Remus dragged his trunk to it. When he opened the door he found that not only was his friend James there, but so were Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew.

"How was your summer?" James asked. "You were a bit vague in all your letters."

"It was fine," Remus said. "I didn't really do much. Just my homework and writing to you guys."

"Thank you for not being so vague," Sirius said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Speaking of homework, can I borrow your Charms essay?"

"I'm not sure…" Remus said teasingly. But seeing the look of utmost horror on his friends' face, he laughed and handed it over. Sirius looked relieved.

Around midday, when the lunch trolley showed up James hopped up and got everybody a bit of everything. There was a slight delay when he forgot for a minute what he was even doing. Lily Evans, another Gryffindor second year, had come up to get some candy as well. James stared after her for a minute before the trolley lady gave a cough that made James jump and come back to reality, hastily buying a bunch of food to cover up what just happened.

The train ride carried on in to the night while all four boys swapped Wizard cards, ate candy, and played a few rounds of Exploding Snap. After the Sorting and the feast, Remus was stuffed and would've quite liked going straight to bed, but James and Sirius wouldn't allow that.

"We're going to play a game," Sirius announced as they all sat at the foot of their beds. "with Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans!" Peter and James whooped. Remus merely rolled his eyes.

"What're the rules?" Remus asked dully.

"Don't get to excited Remus," Sirius warned jokingly. "James, would you care to do the honor of explaining the rules?" James nodded and stood up at the foot of his bed while wrapping a sheet around him and mustering up the most pompous look he could manage. Remus, Sirius, and Peter all laughed at James as he puffed out his chest and explained the rules.

"You are to take one bean, eat it, and say the flavor. Whoever has the worst flavor must confess a secret about themselves that nobody else in this room knows. If you refuse, you are to wear a pair of bunny slippers all day around school tomorrow (James held up a pair of bunny slippers to show he was serious). That is all, enjoy the game."

The three boys watching laughed and clapped as James hopped down from his bed. Remus however was slightly worried. He only had one secret and he wasn't planning on telling his friends. Nonetheless, he picked a bean from the box Sirius was holding under his nose.

"Okay, try your bean now," Sirius said. Remus popped his bean in to his mouth. Lemon. Remus felt immediate relief. Peter however made a face that told plainly he had the worst flavor.

"Ear wax!" Peter gagged. He looked around to see the other three boys watching him intently. "Okay," Peter sighed. "I was always up earlier than the rest of you last year because I-I didn't want you guys to find out that…I-I slept with a-a _teddy_. I always got up to hide him in the bottom of my trunk before you guys saw. But I broke the habit over the summer! I don't sleep with him any more." The other three boys nodded, but didn't laugh.

"I thought you were just a morning person," Sirius remarked. "Okay, pick a bean again." He passed the beans around again. Remus popped his in to his mouth and tasted strawberries. James, however, had sardines.

"You guys can't tell _anyone!_" James warned before he spat out his secret. "I-I kinlilievasinclastyear."

"Didn't catch that, mate," Sirius said, grinning. James, his face glowing red, repeated his sentence.

"I've kind of liked Lily Evans since the end of last year," James said quietly.

"I didn't know that," said Peter. Sirius laughed.

"I did," said Sirius. "I asked to borrow James' Astronomy notes last year and there were two lines of notes on Jupiter and the rest of the parchment said 'Lily' and 'Lily Evans' and 'L.E.'. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if he starts following the poor girl around constantly." James threw a pillow at him. Sirius handed out the beans again. When Remus popped the bean in to his mouth. It was dirt.

"Okay, Remus. What's one thing we don't know about you?" Sirius asked grinning when he saw Remus' expression.

_Don't tell them!_ Remus automatically said in his head.

"I'm, er...allergic to mushrooms," said Remus lamely. James snorted.

"We all knew that," he pointed out. "Remember last year when you accidentally ate some at dinner and your face swelled up like a balloon?" Remus shrugged.

"I guess I don't have anything real good to tell you guys," he lied.

"I can think of something! _I _can think of something!" Sirius said bouncing up and down excitedly and waving his had around in the air. Peter fell off his bed laughing. James, laughing himself, asked Sirius what he could think of. Sirius looked directly at Remus.

"Okay, let's think to last year. Your mother was sick three times, your cat died…twice, your grandfather was on his deathbed, your grandmother died, and your Aunt Barbara also died three times; and every time you go on and come back from one of these 'visits' you look sick, pale, and like one hex could finish you off."

Remus shifted uncomfortably. Before he could make up an excuse, James went on where Sirius had left off.

"And _I_ noticed while doing some Astronomy homework while you were gone on one of these 'visits' that it was full moon. In fact I checked back to the previous month you were gone and you were gone during full moon as well. Then the small red dots you made on your calendar in your room on certain days made sense after that. They were all on full moon. Care to explain anything to us, Remus?"

They had him cornered there was no escaping. Remus sighed.

"Every month, I go up to the Shrieking Shack-" He was cut off by gasps from James, Sirius, and Peter. They all looked white.

"I would _never_ go in there! That place is so _haunted!_" said Sirius.

"It's not haunted," said Remus. "The sounds the villagers hear from the Shack come from me. I'm a…werewolf." Remus stared at his feet and waited. Waited for his former friends to run. Waited for them to scream. Waited for them to demand to be in a different dormitory. Waited for them to turn their backs on him forever. After finally having friends for the first time in his life, Remus had lost them by finally admitting he was a werewolf. So he was very surprised when he heard James say, "So you have a furry little problem? So what?"

Remus looked up. All of his friends were smiling at him and he knew at that moment they accepted him for him. "furry little problem" or not.


End file.
